Clownin' around

Ronald McDonald isn't going anywhere, CEO tells investors and critics

May 20, 2010|By Wailin Wong, Tribune reporter

Don't mess with Ronald.

That's the message McDonald's Corp. Chief Executive Jim Skinner delivered Thursday to investors who want to retire the red-haired clown as part of broader efforts to stop the marketing of what critics consider unhealthy food to children.

"He is a force for good … he does not hawk food," Skinner said of Ronald McDonald in a rebuttal to Deborah Lapidus, senior organizer at Corporate Accountability International, which launched a campaign in late March to do away with the mascot.

Corporate Accountability activists, in a reprise of the protest they held Wednesday in downtown Chicago, waved signs at the entrance to McDonald's corporate headquarters in Oak Brook as shareholders arrived for the company's annual meeting.

Lapidus cited a poll showing roughly half of Americans would like to see Ronald McDonald's retirement. Her comments drew loud boos from the audience.

Skinner cited another poll that revealed support for the mascot and defended Ronald McDonald as the face of the company's charitable initiatives.

"Your poll is off-base," he said. "All I'm saying to you is: The answer is no."

Skinner was similarly brusque with a retired physician who echoed Lapidus' remarks by calling Ronald McDonald a "Pied Piper" who leads children to dangerous eating habits. The CEO also heard from a school nurse, who bemoaned the number of students she sees with diet-related illnesses.

"We're committed to responsible marketing," Skinner told her, adding that the fast food chain has tried to emphasize "choice and variety" in its menu offerings.